Hurricane Hugo Compared to Hurricane Florence

In Hugo, we learned there could be power outages as far west as Boone and Asheville. We learned that rooftops could be lifted and homes destroyed. Billy was stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, SC. He and other military personnel were “deployed” for weeks afterward in various parts of North and South Carolina to help with clean up.

I lived in Asheville, NC. My sister was a student at Appalachian State University in Boone. Our brother lived in Clover, SC. We each experienced heavy rain and high winds with some damage in the areas of our homes. Our parents lived on the family homeplace in Lincoln County. Approximately 10 acres of their property was covered in hardwoods. Remarkably, my father had enough downed trees to cut all the firewood they needed to heat their home for the next eleven years. After their deaths, there was still enough firewood stacked in the chicken house to have heated their home for several years.

The National Weather Service website contains personal stories from numerous people, including the then young meteorologist Eric Thomas at WBTV. A story in the Charlotte Observer on the 25th anniversary of Hugo tells similar stories.

Similarities Between Hugo and Florence

Florence has enough in common with Hugo to have us on alert and well prepared. We expect you are prepared if you lived through Hugo, grew up hearing the stories or have lived around here long enough to meet some of us “old-timers.” You most likely know what you need to keep yourself safe and comfortable. Therefore, we are focusing on the extra information you need to keep your cats, dogs, small caged pets and birds safe.

Emergency Preparedness for Pets

A lot of emergency preparedness for pets is similar to emergency preparedness for humans. We know the drill. Have enough water and food. You need medication. Have supplies handy and ready to deploy. But there are several special considerations for our pets.

Several major networks offer great tips. Here is an article from CNN. And Fox News offers great tips too.

Special Food and Water Considerations for Pets

If you feed raw food you will need extra ice and coolers in case of power outages

For pets on a prescription veterinary diet you will need to have an extra bag of prescription kibble or box of canned prescription food

If you make home prepared meals for your pets you will need extra ice to keep the food safe if you lose electricty

For pets who eat regular kibble or canned food you need an adequate supply in case you can’t get to the store

Pets that drink distilled water or filtered water need extra jugs of water

Medication for Your Pets

If your pet is on medication for thyroid issues, Cushings, diabetes, anxiety, etc you will need enough for two weeks

But even if your pet is not usually anxious he may feel nervous with the noises of a major storm, changes in barometric pressure, etc

If you have to evacuate from your home your pet may get sick in your vehicle

If you have to move to the home of a relative or to a shelter, your pet may be nervous

In each of these instances it’s a good plan to talk with your vet today about what over the counter supplements may be helpful if it’s too late to have your pet evaluated for prescription medication

Special Supplies for Your Pets

Nature’s Miracle makes a cat calming spray that can be sprayed on blankets and beds

Feliway makes diffusers and a calming solution for the cat scratching post

Each cat will need a carrier, bed, blankets, food/water bowls, toys, ID tags, collar, litter, litter box, litter scoop and bags to use for used litter

Consider a harness and leash for your cat

Each bird needs his or her cage, food and water containers, toys and blankets to cover the cage

What to Do Before the Next Pet Emergency

Chances are you were not fully prepared this time. That’s ok. Very few people are always fully prepared. Good preparation takes planning, time and money. You can’t be blamed for not knowing what you don’t know. Now you know so you will do better next time.

Next week do these steps:

Review the things we talked about and select the ones you have the time and budget to implement first. That might mean buying a dog crate. Or maybe it’s getting one extra bag of pet food so you can stay ahead. Likewise maybe you can schedule a vet appointment for your anxious pet to get medication.

Train your cat to go in his carrier or your dog to love her crate. The public library has lots of books to help with this. If your budget will stretch a little further schedule a few private sessions with a positive reinforcement trainer or take advantage of free classes offered.

If you want to go a step further consider taking a pet cpr and first aid class in case your pet sustains an injury. That’s helpful in every day life. We teach Pet Tech classes and are happy to have you join us if your live nearby.

What Happens in Vegas…Comes Home to Coddle Creek Pet Services

Episode I

Despite popular opinion some things that happen in Las Vegas are designed to be shared. The PetSittingOlogy Conference is one of those happenings. In October 2014 Billy and I were privileged to attend the 3rd Annual PetSittingOlogy Conference. We were delighted to attend the 5th Annual PetSittingOlogy Conference this past October.

PSO Pet Sitters 2016

Arden Moore

Over the next several months we will share the highlights from the conference with you. Today we start with the incomparable Arden Moore. You may have been fortunate enough to listen to her radio show, Oh Behave! on Pet Life Radio. Several years ago I bought her book, The Cat Behavior Answer Book and have found the tips invaluable when working with, shall we say, less than enthusiastic cats!!

While at the conference Billy and I had the privilege of spending some one on one time with Arden and got to know her on a personal level. Arden’s sense of humor is delightful. We also had the opportunity to purchase two more of her books, Fit Dog and Fit Cat. We heartily recommend Arden’s books.

Just this week Billy passed along recommendations for medicating a cat to one of our clients that was distressed about her cat’s needs for medication. Said cat is independent and does not like to be messed with.

Arden’s cat Casey assists her with teaching Pet First Aid 4U. Pet Safety Cat Casey endorses the The Explorer Adventure First Aid Kit. The kit contains the items you might need in an emergency (for your pet or you). Billy and I previously created our own first aid kits for carrying in our cars but needed something compact enough to carry on hikes with our dogs. This kit is the perfect addition to our backpacks for those so beloved hikes.

Stay tuned next month for Episode Two of What Happens in Vegas…Comes Home to Coddle Creek Pet Services.

Pet Saver, Pet First Aid and CPR

Over a year ago Billy took the Red Cross Dog & Cat First Aid course because we value the safety of your pets as well as the safety of our own pets. In October of this year we attended the Petsitting-ology conference in Las Vegas. While there we both had the opportunity to take the Pet Saver, Pet First Aid and CPR classes offered by by Pet Tech, Inc. The Pet Safety Guy himself, Thom Somes taught much of our eight hour course. http://www.pettech.net/index.php

As professional pet sitters it is important to us to not only provide proper care for our own three dogs but also to provide proper care for your cats and dogs and keep them safe while in our care. Pet Tech’s Pet Saver Program includes 6 components: Caring for your Pet, Pet First Aid and CPR, Snout-to-Tail Assessment, Poisonous Items, Essentials and Dental Care.

We learned the importance of doing a Snout-to-Tail assessment of your pet at least weekly. You too can do this valuable assessment by downloading the Pet Tech Pet Saver app on your smart phone. Just go to the Play Store on your Android phone or the App Store on your iphone and type in “pet saver.” The Pet Tech Pet Saver app has a small fee but is worth its’ weight in gold. You can record the results of your pet’s weekly snout-to-tail assessment for starters but the app is loaded with other useful wellness and injury information. We encourage you to go download that app right now!

We wish we had known about this several years ago before our beloved Beau became ill with lymphoma. Had we been assessing his basic health indicators on a weekly basis we are confident the changes would have led us to seek medical attention sooner. He could have had palliative care to resolve his discomfort and to keep him with us longer. Now we feel armed with information and that is a great feeling.

While in the class we had an opportunity to practice restraining and muzzling, CPR, rescue breathing, and first aid bleeding protocols. Despite the “excitement” of these hands on skills we know that fortunately we will use the wellness information on a daily basis and through prevention plan to avoid the need for urgent care.

In January Billy will take the 3 day training course to become an instructor in the Pet Tech Pet Saver, Pet First Aid and CPR program. We are excited to be able to offer this valuable resource to our community in the near future. Stay tuned for details regarding when he will teach the first series of classes here in Coddle Creek!!